10PRAIA51

VZCZCXR05587
RR RUEHMA

DE RUEHPA #0051/01 0342201

ZNR UUUUU ZZH

R 032201Z FEB 10

FM AMEMBASSY PRAIA

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1934

INFO RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC

RUE HGV/USMIS SION GENEVA 0016

RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

RUEHPA/ AMEMBASSY PRAIA 2900

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAIA 000051

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DOL/ILAB FOR TINA MCCARTER
DOL/IL FOR TU DANG

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ELAB ETRD PHUM SOCI CV

SUBJECT: CAPE VERDE REPORTS NO WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR

REF: STATE 131997

PRAIA 00000051 001.2 OF 003

IQ. (SBU) SUMMARY: Cape Verde has a very low incidence of forced
and exploitative child labor has no worst forms of child labor.
Of children who work, most do so to augment their family income.

Specifically, many of these children work as street vendors and
car washers in cities, or assist with harvests in rural areas.
These tasks are usually done outside school hours. Forced and
exploitative child labor is believed to be rare, however the
tracking and enforcement mechanisms of the Cape Verdean
government employs in the area are relatively weak and could be
strengthened. End summary.

J2 . (U) The following answers are keyed to reftel questions.

Tasking 1/TVPRA: Use of Forced Labor and/or Exploitive Child
Labor in the Production of Goods

Cape Verde does not use forced labor and exploitative child
labor in the production of goods.

Tasking 2/TDA: Exploitive Child Labor for Countries Eligible for
Trade Benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)

2A) PREVALENCE AND SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF EXPLOITIVE CHILD
LABOR :

IQ. Children were involved in domestic service, street vending,
and car washing. Children help their parents earn a living,
especially in single-parent and low income families.

%2 . The government is willing to provide the data set to DOL for
further analysis.

2 B) LAWS AND REGULATIONS:

1.1 . No new laws or regulations were enacted in regard to
exploitive child labor. Children continued to work as street
vendors and car washers but mostly as a means to help their
families .

2 C) INSTITUTIONS AND MECHANISMS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF HAZARDOUS
CHILD LABOR AND FORCED CHILD LABOR: (Note: the answers for Qh

sections are the same. End note.)

1.1. The agencies responsible for the enforcement of laws relating
to hazardous child labor and forced child labor were the
Ministry of Labor, Professional Training and Social Solidarity,
the Direction-General of Labor, and the Inspection General of
Labor .

12. The agencies may exchange information through written reports
and "ad hoc" information. There have been no reports of
hazardous child labor.

13. Complaints may be filed through written or oral reports.

There were no complaints received in the reporting period.

14. There was no funding provided specifically to agencies
responsible for inspections. Inspectors have sufficient office
facilities, but lack transportation, fuel, and financial means
to reach all points of the country and train people to carry out
inspections .

15. There are no inspectors specifically to address hazardous
child and forced child labor issues.

1.6. No inspections involving child labor were carried out, since
there were no reported hazardous child labor cases. Children do
not work in formal sectors which are regularly inspected, but
mainly on the streets as car washers and street vendors.
Inspectors have reported no cases of hazardous child labor and
received no complaints of hazardous child labor.

PRAIA 00000051 002.2 OF 003

2C, Sections I and II, Questions 7 through 13: Hazardous child

labor and forced child labor

N/A

1.14. The government did not offer any training for investigators
or others responsible for enforcement.

2D) INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT OF CHILD
TRAFFICKING, COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION (CSE) OF CHILDREN,

USE OF CHILDREN IN ILLICIT ACTIVITIES: (Note: the answers are

the same for all three areas. End note.)

1.1. The country did not have agencies or personnel dedicated to
enforcement of child trafficking of children in illicit
activities. The government employed no investigators/social
workers/dedicated police officers to conduct investigations.

1.2. No funding was provided to agencies responsible for
investigating child trafficking of children in illicit
activities .

1.3. The country maintained a victims' hotline for reporting child
trafficking, CSE and in illicit activities violations. No
complaints were received.

14. No investigations were opened since there were no child
traf f icking/CSE/use of children in illicit activities cases.

Questions 5 through 11:N/A

1.12. No, the government offered no training for investigators or
others responsible for enforcement of child trafficking.

113. N/A

2E ) GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON CHILD LABOR:

IQ. No, this is not viewed as a significant issue, so the
government did not have a policy or plan that specifically
addressed exploitive child labor.

12 . The country did not incorporate exploitive child labor
specifically as an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction,
development, educational or other social policies. However, all
programs that fight poverty contribute indirectly to enabling
children to leave work and enter school. For example, the
Institute of Children and Adolescents (ICCA) has shelter for
homeless and/or abandoned children to prevent them from staying
on the streets, thus decreasing child labor. Another important
public policy element is that primary education is compulsory
and free nationwide.

13. The government did not provide funding specifically for child
labor .

14. N/A

15. The Association for the Children in Need (ACRIDES) has a
program in partnership with public and private entities, under
which hot meals are provided to street kids, and has a shelter
that provides after-school education programs. ACRIDES also has
a program focused on children in conflict with the law that
brings them out of the unofficial work-force.

16. No information available.

17. No, the government did not sign bilateral, regional or
international agreement to combat trafficking.

2F ) SOCIAL PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE OR PREVENT CHILD LABOR:

11. As child labor is not viewed as a significant issue, the
government did not implement any programs specifically to
address the worst forms of child labor.

12. The country did not incorporate child labor specifically as
an issue to be addressed in poverty reduction, development,
educational or other social programs, such as conditional cash
transfer programs or eligibility for school meals, etc.

13. N/A

14 . The government did not provide any non-monetary support to
child labor programs, as child labor is not viewed as a

PRAIA 00000051 003.2 OF 003

significant issue in the country.

15. N/A

16. N/A

2G ) CONTINUAL PROGRESS:

11. There are no official statistics available for 2009, yet.
However, during the reporting period, the government of Cape
Verde found that no worst forms of child labor existed;
therefore the government has developed no specific policy or
program to combat exploitive child labor. However, through ICCA
and with the support of NGOs such as ACRIDES, it indirectly
contributed to preventing exploitative child labor situations.
Following the 2006 Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries
(CPLP) meeting in Lisbon, where it was agreed that Cape Verde
would join other member states in an attempt to combat child
labor, the government agreed to follow the recommendations of
the CPLP. ICCA carried out a study on the worst forms of child
labor at the government's request, which was broadcast on the
government-owned TV station and given media coverage. During
the year, ICCA reported that there were no worst forms of child

labor, as defined by the ILO 182 Convention.
MYLES